Their origin is disputed - some say that the first example was made in Saint Petersburg in the 18th Century, others say the first was in Paris in the early 19th Century. The first patent was granted in the 1880s to an American who made one in New York. They were made almost unversally of wood and their use spread quickly, there being over a thousand worldwide by the 1920s. Following the Great depression their use declined dramatically until a resurgence in the 1970s when the new generation were made largely from steel. They have again spread rapidly and modern examples are computer controlled and can cost several million to make. What am I talking about?